apa reaction paper example

apa reaction paper example

Understanding and Writing APA Reaction Papers: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Reaction Papers and APA Style

All three pages of the reaction paper should be typed, double spaced with 1-inch margins on all four sides of the paper. The preferred font style is Times Roman in a 12-point font size. The paper should include a cover page, headings, citations, and a reference list (i.e., sources). All papers will be in APA style (6th ed.), including in-text citations (should be used throughout your papers), references, cover page, and headings. The recommended citation style is as follows: first level heading (flush left and bolded), second level heading (italics and bolded), third level heading (italics with period), fourth level heading (italics, flush left and bold). This will likely fit most courses’ written work requirements. If your particular professor assigns a different length for this paper, make sure you make note of that fact here. APA style reaction papers include newspaper articles, movies, films, and all other sources. If you are still somewhat uncertain about what your paper should look like, you can go to see a sample APA paper.

A reaction paper is a student’s response to something that he or she has read. The student then focuses that response to better understand the underlying writing—in the text at hand as well as the writer’s broader body of work—and supplements his or her own ideas with those presented by the author. Reaction papers include research papers, but they are also assigned in many business and non-business sociology and/or psychology courses as part of the curriculum. Reaction papers should be three pages (double spaced) unless a different length is specified, and they must be written in APA format. In addition to reporting assignment on the specified reading, the student should also present comments and criticisms on the author’s work and ideas. Since the paper is for a sociological or psychological course, APA guidelines should be followed without simply reporting in outline form.

2. Key Components of an APA Reaction Paper

In the summary section, organized according to the major themes found in the source, writers provide an overview of the work. They point out the most important reactions and the most significant details of the work, using as much supporting evidence as possible to validate their points of view, identifying all themes and the primary research that relates to them, and suggesting the most significant references. The second section is the article critique, and is divided into five sub-sections: introduction, context, strengths, weaknesses, and conclusion. The introduction explains to the reader what the author is going to discuss and how the paper has been organized, and the context tells where and when the original work was published and who reviewed it. After evaluating the strengths of the original work, the writer discovers the weaknesses associated with the source and evaluate how helpful the original work is, and the conclusion is provided for the article critique. Finally, in the conclusion, the writer summarizes the importance of incorporating the source into their academic knowledge. They demonstrate specific areas of value and point out both its capabilities and limitations, and reiterate the thesis. They should also generate lingering questions which require more personal or research considerations.

In the opening paragraph, writers focus on setting the stage for their papers by establishing a strong thesis and clear theme. Their thesis is the combination of their reaction to the source combined with their personal reflection on their feelings and impressions. The theme of the paper is the broader question that is being addressed. Both the thesis and the theme should be simultaneously introduced at the end of the first paragraph and re-introduced at the end of the first section to interest the reader in finishing the paper.

APA reaction papers are organized in many different ways, but one format provides an appropriate framework to support extensive development of the content areas. APA reaction papers are organized as follows: opening paragraph (thesis and theme), summary of the source, article critique, and conclusion.

3. Writing and Formatting Guidelines for APA Reaction Papers

5. Footnotes must be used when quoting authoritative or widely disbelieved sources. These are sources certified by an accredited evaluator. Also, use footnotes for information listed in the tables, illustrations, graphs or other visual representations. These sources can include those Broquus has cited, but the number is not to exceed 13.

4. There should be no exclamation marks. Only use quotation marks to emphasize a phrase someone said. Minimum use of the passive voice is okay.

3. Do not use contractions. Do not use shortened words. The word “and” is not to be used at the beginning of a sentence, and you should not use a comma after it.

2. All quotes and citations are expected to be supported by original sources. Always remember to begin the next sentence after the citation with the subject of the paper.

1. Do not use 1st person sentence construction. However, you are to use a person’s name, an apostrophe, and the letter s in parentheses, for example, (Boquus’s opinions).

3.2 Guidelines on Writing, Grammar, and Formatting

5. In the conclusion, state whether the reactions are generally true, why or why not. Try to make a particular point about your opinion in the beginning.

4. In another paragraph, tell about how the arguments against the leader are not entirely true.

3. In the third paragraph, you may attack the leader, his policy, his previous performance, and the opposition falsification methods related to spinning political facts and pushing the leader in some particular direction.

2. Respond to the leader’s thoughts. Try to find out about reactions of political scientists on him and the activity of the region placed under his control.

1. Introduce the article; briefly explain what it is about and what situation it was developed in. Then, introduce the readers to the leader of the region you discuss and state some important facts about him.

Since the structure of writing a reaction paper can be quite standard, it is often useful to have a set pattern to follow. Consider using this pattern if it works for you:

3.1 Customary Structure

4. Tips for Effective Analysis and Reflection in APA Reaction Papers

If the assignment asks the student to change/evaluate a piece, i.e. to come up with an improvement to the feminist perspective, then the student should offer an alternate thesis/framework. The student should choose specific points (especially part of the thesis) on which to explicitly evaluate the original piece in order to explain why the reaction is better. If the student has to change the audience, location, and/or purpose, the student should provide an alternate thesis/framework. Then the student should choose specific things (especially part of the thesis) on which to explicitly evaluate the original piece in order to explain why the reaction is better.

The higher the education level, the more directive you should be. If you are an AP Language teacher grading papers, you don’t want to craft a response showing how you would write your reaction if you were an AP Literature teacher. If you are only evaluating surface elements, you may need to explain the basic elements of the thesis to the teacher. A thesis is a single sentence that states the author’s point. It is a general idea or the moral of the story. A thesis should bring the audience to a deeper understanding of the work, and it should only be a single sentence. The student should read, understand, and paraphrase the thesis. Just as the student should look at the above items in terms of main points, the student should ask the same questions when looking for the meaning of specific terms, events, titles, etc.